


Time and True

by jes12321



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M, Genderswap, Not Canon Compliant, Spoilers-ish, Time Travel, Timeline What Timeline, fem!naruto, genderswapped main charater, not cannon timeline, wow so many au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 08:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 18,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20467952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jes12321/pseuds/jes12321
Summary: "Time takes it all, whether you want it to or not."- Stephen King---Naruto Uzumaki had just about had it with the Fourth Shinobi War. She almost wanted to just give up at this point, but so many people had died, so many had given their lives that she had no option to lose or give up. She had to fight. All she had left were Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke, and even they were worn to the bone. Anyone could see. So when they die in the last fight of the war, she doesn't know what to do with herself. And the cryptic message one of them passed along isn't helping either.





	1. The One Where Everyone Dies

**Author's Note:**

> If I get something wrong, please don't be mean. I actually haven't finished the show yet, and when I do I'll come back and correct any errors, but for now, feel free to correct in a nice way.
> 
> Also, let's pretend the war lasted two years rather than just a few days. Thank you.
> 
> Hope you like it.

Naruto tried to ignore the piles of bodies that surrounded her as she fought the enemy shinobi. She'd had no idea how strong they would really be, but if her team could beat them here, the war would be over. No more death, no more hate. She could end the cycle once and for all. Especially after she became Hokage.

The screams and yells of battle almost overtook her ears as she ran even further into enemy ranks. She continued to fight, borrowing power from her current demonic resident as it was needed. Suddenly she heard a scream.

The scream was recognized by Naruto immediately. She ran to the sound, forgetting the enemy she had been facing. When she arrived on the scene she almost screamed herself.

There, on the ground, all of her friends that she had left, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. All of them, bleeding into the grass. The scream had been Sakura's, but she was dead now. So fast. Could Naruto have even saved them? Her eyes flashed over to a movement as she saw Kakashi's silver hair tremble. She ran to his side to see his eyes slowly glassing over.

"No, you cannot die in me. I won't allow it. You can't do this to me. I've already lost so much. Can't I be selfish just this once?" She asked as she cradled him in her arms. "I didn't even get to tell you how much I love you."

His hand reached up and rested on her face. "I have always loved you Naruto. Even before I knew you, I loved you."

"What?" She asked, a questioning look in his face.

Kakashi closed his eyes and relaxed his body in her arms. He had always hoped if he had to die it would be in her arms. He had to hold out just a bit more. He needed to say those three words before he died one more time. One more time.

"I love you." He choked out before dropping his hand from her face and breathing his last breath.

She screamed then. Letting all of the agony, sadness, hopelessness, fear, and anger out in a single moment. She could feel Kurama's power as her anger and hatred fueled him.

"For a shinobi, you aren't very good at following the basic rules. Like, for instance, not showing any emotions." She heard a voice behind her.

"Did you kill them?" She asked simply, trying to suppress the anger and agony. The sadness this life had felt her with. The never-ending shit hole that was her life.

"Why, you gonna try to avenge them? Go ahead, try. Not even the legendary Copy Ninja could beat me. What could a tiny girl like you hope to do?" He teased.

She didn't care anymore. These people didn't deserve her mercy. She should kill them all. She couldn't tell if it was her or the demon inside her thinking those thoughts, and that scared her, but she didn't really care right now. He had to die.

"I don't know how much a little girl could do against someone as strong as you, but let's see what the jinchuriki of the nine-tails can do a piece of scum like you." She chuckled at the expression on his face as he realized what she was.

Her wounds that she had sustained were enough to hinder her movements as she fought him, but not enough to make the battle too difficult. It took longer than she expected, the man was pretty good, but she beat him in the end. Although, she had to pay the price. As the watched his body fall to the ground she felt the pain she had suppressed during the fight. She looked down at a large gouge in her chest, right in her heart. Kurama couldn't heal her injuries fast enough, she was dying.

Naruto looked at Kakashi, lying dead on the ground. Sasuke and Sakura, who had died next to each other. They were even holding hands.

He couldn't die. He just couldn't. Naruto gathered up the last of her chakra as she remembered the jutsu Grandma Chiyo had used on Gaara so long ago. She channeled the last of her life into Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke in a last-ditch attempt to save the man she loved and her two best friends. As she fell next to them, the exhaustion and pain finally overcame her.

She closed her eyes and saw her mindscape. _"Kurama, I will miss you, dear friend."_

The large fox looked at her with surprisingly sad eyes. _"Allow me to fix this. I can take you back. You can be with the man you love."_

He held a surprising amount of hope in his voice. It was for a selfish reason. He, though he would never admit it, was actually liking Naruto. She had treated him better than any of his former hosts. She had given him a home where he felt safe, and he wasn't about to lose that now.

_"I don't know what tricks you have up your sleeve, but this time I will gladly go. I have had enough. Let me die in peace." _She was almost begging.

Kurama didn't care. He could tell she wanted to die but also wanted to live. None of these stupid humans really wanted to die. Most just wanted to find love and live forever. As if that wasn't too much to ask.

_"I'm sorry, brat. I cannot honor your wishes. I need you to stay alive. So does everyone else, so try to make it for just a little longer." _He asked as he gathered up the last of his chakra. He wasn't sure if this would work, but she would die either way, so what was the harm.

He hoped with all his heart, if he had one, that this would work and went to work.

_"You will see him again, kit. I will make sure of that."_


	2. The One Where They Are Remembered

The medical ninja looked on the scene in awe as they saw the wrecked battlefield. Whoever had fought here had put up one hell of a fight. As they saw the group laying on the middle of the clearing they ran over to see if any were still alive. They felt for a pulse in all of them.

"I've got one." One of them yelled, ushering the others over to him. "And two more. They're in critical condition though. They need medical attention immediately."

The others quickly felt for the pulses and once they had found them, they lifted the three into stretchers and carried them to the makeshift hospital close by. They could at least try to patch the three of them up enough to keep them alive for the time being. It would be crude, but it would work.

"We made it just in time. Any later and they would have been done for." One of them said as they ran to the tent. The others nodded in agreement and sped their pace. They had no time to lose.

Once they reached the tent they called out.

"We have top priority cases here. They need medical attention, stat." They yelled before setting him on the ground and continuing their search for the living.

It was a long and tedious process, but in the end, they had found a way to stabilize all of them. After healing up, they may even be able to continue their duties as ninja.

The body of Naruto Uzumaki was nowhere to be found.

After stabilizing Kakashi, the medical ninja moved to other, higher priority, ninja as he was delivered to the actual hospital for observation. He would be out for a while, and he would just get in the way in the makeshift medical base.

\---

Two months later the memorial service was held. It was a sunny day, much too happy for such a sad occasion, but everyone knew that was the only way she would have wanted it. In a way the sun resembled her today, just like every other day. Trying her hardest to cheer everyone up, even if it seemed they were in a perpetual inescapable ditch of sadness. They knew she would try her hardest to cheer them up. It was almost like she had been watching. The girl who had saved them all.

Everyone who had died had a photo placed out for them. One photo, higher than the rest, sat in the middle. It was a picture of Naruto Uzumaki. Everyone had decided it was her that put the most effort into the war. It was her who had ended it. She was the one who had protected them all with the power they had shunned her for. The power top the nine tailed fox.

Kakashi had insisted on coming to the service, though he left halfway through, not being able to look upon the beaming face of the one he loved without breaking his composure. The fact that he had been forced to watch his other students almost be killed didn't help either. He felt like he had failed as their sensei.

Kakashi had nightmares about that day for months after the funeral.

The whole town was still in ruins, and everyone who was able had to help. Although Kakashi spent most of his time at the cemetery, he still did as much work as he could in town. The doctors were trying to tell him not to work himself into the ground, that a dead shinobi was no good to anyone.

He tried to remember the words Iruka had said on the day of the Third Hokage's death. He tried to live by them, but it got harder every day. He tried to imagine life without Naruto, life without a sun to shine down on you, and he couldn't imagine anything but hell.

He almost cried as he realized he had lost her twice. His sunshine had gone twice, and this time he wasn't getting her back again. No matter how many times she stated at her picture, remembered her voice, imagined the way he felt when she held his hand, it was never good enough. He would never feel the warmth of her hand in his again. He couldn't cry though. She would want him to fix the village. She would want him to continue to help everyone around him. She would push him to do his best and help others. So he didn't cry, not once.

Nothing would bring her back, and he would get no second chances this time. He knew that nothing would bring her back, so he didn't wish for the impossible. He held it inside as he put on a smile and helped.

The villagers looked on him in pity and sorrow. They saw the brave look on his face and realized he was hiding everything he felt. They realized that if he could be strong, so could they. So they built, and worked, and continued to try their hardest until the village was built again.

Maybe it was the Will of Fire that fueled them, or maybe it was the will of a broken-hearted man trying his best. Either way, the village was almost whole once again.


	3. The One Where Death Is More Like A Distant Cousin Than A Friend

As Naruto laid next to Kakashi she welcomed death. She ignored Kurama inside her as she closed her eyes waiting to be gone from this world. The feeling of death never came. Instead, she was greeted by burning pain. It felt as if she was empty, and if she had been thinking at the time, would have thought that was what it felt like to run completely out of chakra.

_"What did you do?" _She asked the demon who was the only one who could be doing this.

_"I'm saving you. I'm bringing you back."_ After a silence, the demon continued. _"No, don't thank me or anything. I'm just risking my entire self to save your sorry ass."_

_"I told you I wanted to die. I told you I was ready." _Although, sadly enough, they both knew she wasn't. Kurama has been right, nobody really wanted to die.

Suddenly Naruto felt her back hit something hard. It felt like rock, maybe just frozen ground. The waves of pain that rolled over her were too much to bear. She couldn't keep her eyes open to see who had just asked her if she was okay.

\---

Naruto flinched as she tried to rise to a sitting position in the cot she was currently confined to. She looked around to see she was in a hospital. As she glanced out the window she saw a sight she never thought she would see again. The Leaf Village was fully rebuilt, but something was odd about it.

Attempting, once again, to get up from the bed she was in, she sat up on the edge of the bed, pulling out the wires connected to her arms and chest. As she reached to run a hand through her hair, she froze. Her hand was much too small for her 17-year-old body. She quickly reached back to her hair to find it was a spiked mess atop her head. It was the same length it had been when she was nine, although she had usually had it up in pigtails then.

_"What did you do Kurama?" _The kunoichi practically screamed at her tenant.

_"Isn't it obvious? I brought you back in time. You can grow up and have a life with your love now. And, I get to stay in this body."_ Naruto knew that the demon had never had many caring people housing him, she had probably been the kindest so far.

Deciding to roll with it, she laid back onto the bed, relaxing her body. _"So, if you sent me back, how far did we go?"_

There was silence for a moment as he thought.

_"Kakashi is probably about nine right now. Same age as you look." _He answered as if that wouldn't shake her to her very core.

"Mom, dad, they're alive?" She stuttered aloud.

_"Now that you bring it up, yes, yes they are."_

It was then that Naruto noticed how tired she was. She could barely keep her eyes open as she laid sideways on the bed. Before she knew it she was encompassed in her first dreamless sleep in months.

\---

The Hokage paced in his office as he tried to decide what to do with this unknown girl. She wore the Leaf Village crest on her head, though she was only nine, but he did not know of her. If he had to guess, she would belong to the Namikaze clan, with her blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but Minato was too young to have a nine-year-old.

Not even Inoichi Yamanaka could get anything from her mind. It was almost as if something inside of her was blocking them from accessing the information. Something powerful.

There was a knock at the door and he called out for them to come in.

"She woke up a few minutes ago. The girl who suddenly appeared on the training grounds." The woman said before being dismissed by the Hokage.

He turned to his secretary, "I'll be back. I'm going to go pay the girl a visit." He told her.

His only response was a nod before he left for the hospital.

\---

He stared at her as she sat in the bed, looking out the window. She looked so sad, yet so elated at the same time. It was strange and disorienting. Suddenly, as if noticing him for the first time, she turned so fast he barely saw her.

"Oji-San." She had the same look of extreme happiness and sadness in her eyes. It was so strong he almost got dizzy. Then he realized what she had just called him.

"I'm not quite that old yet." He joked as he walked closer to the girl. She seemed wary of everything around her but comfortable at the same time as if she had grown up here.

Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. He expected her to apologize for the informal title. Maybe tell some excuse about how he looked like someone she used to know. None of that came, though. She just stared at him in horror and wonder. She seemed to always be contradicting herself. Happy and sad, horror and wonder, wary and comfortable, all at the same time.

"What is your name, little girl. And why do you wear the leaf village crest on your head? I personally gave everyone at the academy their certificates of graduation and I think I'd remember someone like you." He questioned her in a kind voice with a sharp edge.

"I, well, I, um... Would you believe me if I told you I didn't know?" She asked, her voice filled with hope, but for all the wrong reasons. She wanted to show him the future, what happens, who she was, what she did. She wanted someone to talk to. She didn't want to have to keep it to herself. So she was almost elated when he just shook his head at her.

"Well, it's kind of difficult to explain. Could I just show you?" She sounded hesitant, because yes, she wanted to show him, but at the same time, she didn't want him to see all the pain and horror she went through. So she almost cried when he nodded.

She gently placed a hand on either side of his head and touched her forehead to his.

_'Kurama, please?'_ She asked the demon gently.

The walls that blocked her mind were broken down as they watched the old memories resurface. Her birth, all the villagers shunning her, training with all she had, only to come in last again. They watched as she graduated from the academy, as she grew and fought. They watched her train with Jiraiya and fight in an almost endless bloody war. And it all came to a close as they watched her eyes closed for what she had assumed would be the last time.

She looked down as she released him, Kurama immediately sealing her mind once again. She didn't want to see the pity and horror in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, she was pulled into a tight hug.

"You were so strong. I am so proud of you, Naruto." And she smiled at that. Finally, someone heard about her and didn't look at her in pity, sorrow, or judgment. They looked at her in awe and amazement. She had waited so long for this, she never wanted to leave the arms of her surrogate grandfather.


	4. The One Where She Threatens To Kill Her Future Boyfriend

Kakashi was tense as he paced around the room in his house. He didn't know how or why that girl had wormed her way into his head, but he couldn't get her out. Maybe it was because of how scarily similar to her sensei the girl looked. Maybe it was because she just seemed to fall from the sky. Or maybe it was because she looked around the same age as him, but he had never seen her before in his life, yet she still wore a hitai-ate with the leaf village symbol.

Finally, he realized he couldn't just keep pacing all day, and needed to relieve some stress. So he decided the best course of action would be to train alone.

As he entered the training area he usually went to, he saw a flash of yellow. Without thinking he dropped down to the ground and looked through the bushes to see the girl from just a few days ago. She looked fine now as if she hadn't fallen from the sky bloody and bruised just days ago.

She was fighting what looked like herself, but it wasn't just any clone, it was tangible.

_'So, she knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu, huh.'_ He thought to himself as he watched her.

She fought as if she wasn't used to her body. It was almost as if she was used to having longer limbs, but even then, you could tell, taijutsu was not her strong suit. She jumped around and put too much distance between her and her opponent.

He guessed she was more skilled at ninjutsu or genjutsu. After a while though, she seemed to finally get a hang of her body and repeatedly beat the clone.

After a while of that, she moved on to target practice, which she was pretty good at, though Kakashi would never compliment her on it in his lifetime. She hit the middle almost every time. She could even do trick shots with them, and at this point, it just seemed like showing off to no one. Unless...

No, how could she know he was here. He had been completely silent and hadn't moved an inch. She would never be able to know he was her. Of course, that wouldn't be the case if she were a sensor. If she could sense his chakra, she would have known he was here for a while now, and just not done anything. His breath hitched.

She suddenly turned and threw one of her kunai. It hit the tree right above his head. His breath hitched once more.

"You should leave right now, or I won't miss next time." She stated coldly, continuing to practice throwing. An intimidating aura rolled off of her as she spoke and Kakashi decided to make the safe decision and leave. He quickly left, not missing the loud sigh of despair and sadness.

\---

Naruto silently slipped out of the hospital room and across the rooftops to the training grounds. She decided to work on her taijutsu before anything else, knowing that her smaller frame would be difficult to get used to. She definitely wouldn't be of use in the middle of battle if she couldn't even land one blow on her opponent. Even if taijutsu wasn't exactly her strong suit, she had to at least be able to easily do the basics. She was just beginning to train when she felt a chakra signature nearby. 

She recognized it right away. It was Kakashi.

She faltered slightly when the name ran across her mind but finally pulled it together as she noticed he had stopped. He was probably watching and she couldn't let on that she knew he was here, or that she knew him at all. She continued to spar with her clone, eventually getting the hang of her old body again. It was easier than she had thought, and she assumed it was because she had already fought in this size body for years before she finally grew during her training with Ero-Sennin. 

At that thought, she decided it was time to practice her kunai throwing. During the war, it was something that was easy to practice, even in enemy territory, though Kakashi and Sakura would always tell her she shouldn't be focusing on anything but the mission. She continued to throw, even getting some of her favorite trick shots to work.

She heard a breath hitch as she threw another one and realized he knew. He had finally figured out that she knew he was there and was just showing off now. She quickly turned around and threw a kunai right above where his head should be if the satisfying thunk was any indication. She heard his breath hitch once more and knew she had hit exactly where she wanted to. 

"You should leave right now, or I won't miss next time." She warned him, realizing she wasn't ready to see him quite yet. Not quite ready to face the man she had once loved, even if he was just a young boy right now. She decided that she would face him some other time when she had mentally prepared first. If she saw him now, though, she might just start crying.

As he retreated she sighed a sigh full of regret, despair, and sadness.


	5. The One Where She Is Later Than Late

"But I don't wanna." Naruto complained as she listened to the Hokage's proposal. He wanted her to go back into training in teams. "I already went through that. Can't I just skip it and move on?"

"For a 17-year-old, you sure act like a child." He stated, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her. "Yes, you must do this. You may as well acquaintance yourself with everyone else your age if you are going to be stuck in this time, with no way back."

She thought for a moment before finally giving in. "Fine, fine." She put her hands up in defeat before leaving to go home.

Surprisingly enough, her apartment building was there already, and her apartment was open for rent, so she jumped on the opportunity. The Hokage had offered to pay for it as long as she would join one of the previously formed groups of genin her age. Sadly enough, she was still at their rank since she had never had the opportunity to be promoted to chunin even. The only good part of this that she could see, was the fact that she might finally be able to become a higher ranking ninja.

\---

"Did you hear? We're getting a new member in our group." Rin whispered to them as they sat in the small ramen booth. They had practically dragged Kakashi there, but it was worth it. He would obviously want to know ahead of time if they were getting a new teammate.

"Who?" Obito asked her eagerly. He was looking forward to getting a new teammate. Maybe he could team up with them and pull pranks on Kakashi. Even if they just took his side on some arguments he would feel less left out sometimes.

"I don't know. All I know is, she's our age." Obito groaned at that. He was hoping it would be a guy. Someone who _wouldn't_ fawn over Kakashi the moment she set eyes on him. There go his chances of getting a partner in crime.

"Didn't everyone in our class get assigned to a group already?" Kakashi finally spoke up, surprising the rest of his team.

"That's what I was thinking. Obviously, this person came from outside the Leaf Village." Rin deduced.

"When are we going to meet her?" Obito was curious now that Kakashi and Rin had pointed out that fact to them.

Rin seemed to think for a moment before answering. "Tomorrow, I think."

"What? And you didn't think to tell us before now? How long have you known?" Obito asked, incredulously.

"Well, I've only known for a short while, and up until now, we haven't really been able to see each other all together like this." She told him.

"Oh, sorry." Obito scratched the back of his head.

"It's okay. I probably could have told you earlier. We just got really busy all the sudden and I didn't get the chance."

"We have training soon, and we shouldn't be late," Kakashi said, eyeing Obito.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming." He jumped up from his seat and followed Kakashi as he lead all of them to the training grounds.

\---

"No. No, no, no, no. I cannot work with them." She practically yelled at the Hokage after she realized who she had been put in a group with, "You literally put me in a group with my father, my sensei, and the man who tried to destroy my village. I cannot work with them."

"You are going to have to face them at some point. You have already faced them all, actually. I see no reason why you cannot do so now." He countered.

"Stop making a good argument." She huffed. She could see his side, and right now he was seeming more and more correct as every second passed. But just because he was right didn't mean she had to listen to him. She couldn't face them yet. These people didn't know her, but she knew them. Maybe even better than they knew themselves.

She knew the hardest one to face would be Kakashi. Especially since the last time she had seen him, they had not only confessed their love but also 'died'. Sure, she had brought him back to life, and she had been sent back in time before she could die, but the point still stood. She knew she had no choice but to face them, but it wasn't like that made any of it any easier.

\---

"As you probably already know, we are getting a new member on our team today. The Hokage appointed her to our group himself, so be sure to at least try to be good." Minato told his team in a slightly exasperated tone.

"C'mon, when _haven't_ we been good?" Obito asked his sensei.

"Oh, I can think of many times when all of you have been not-so-good." He mumbled, eyeing all of them, even Kakashi didn't escape his gaze.

"When is she getting here? Training started thirty minutes ago. She's later than Obito, and that is a feat that is almost impossible to achieve, even if he did arrive a little earlier today." Kakashi piped up.

"Hey, I wanted to make a good impression on her, so I took the path with the least amount of elderly citizens this morning. A black cat _did_ cross my path though, so I had to take a different route." He explained, trying to calm the redness covering his face.

"Wow, you sound just like somebody I used to know." A voice came from the tree above them and a shocked look painted all their faces, even Minato's, which made everyone else on edge. How could she escape even Minato-sensei's sensors?

They all looked up into the tree to see a blonde girl with striking similarity to their sensei. She jumped down and landed right in the middle of the loose circle they had formed. Her hair was tied up in two pigtails, and she was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit.

"Hi, I'm Naruto. Pleasure to meet you all." Her voice sounded confident, but they could all hear the bitter and sharp edge to it she was clearly trying to hide.

"Nice to meet you too, Naruto. This is Rin, Obito, and Kakashi." He introduced them all to her and she smiled a half smile at the group. "I'm Minato, although I'm sure the Hokage told you that."

"I sure hope we can all work together." She said, the same sharp and bitter tone in her voice. 


	6. The One Where He Falls In Love (Whether Or Not He Realizes It)

"So, how long were you up there?" Obito asked as they walked further into the center of the clearing that had been made into a training ground.

"Oh, I had just gotten there. Wanted to make a dramatic entrance. The hero always shows up at the last minute, right?" She chuckled nervously as she ended it, the bitter edge to her voice seemed stuck there, so he decided to ignore it.

"Oh yeah, very last minute indeed," Kakashi mumbled behind her. Obito noticed her tense as he spoke, but did not verbalize his observation.

"Okay, so maybe I was a little late. I still came, didn't I?" She mumbled, her tense figure now more relaxed as Kakashi separated from the group.

"Sorry about him. He's always like that." Obito whispered to Naruto, hoping she wouldn't judge the whole group based on their sour teammate.

"No, he is not. He is nice sometimes. He just gets a little annoyed when people are late." Rin chimed in, her voice filled with apology for her teammates' action. She had been so quiet Naruto had almost forgotten she was there.

Naruto smiled before replying.

"It's okay. But is he really like that all the time? Never smiles?" She sounded genuinely shocked as if she thought the possibility of someone never smiling couldn't exist.

"I think he does sometimes when no one is looking. Everyone has to smile _sometimes_, right?" She smiled again at his reply as they finally stopped in the middle of the training grounds.

Minato, who had been walking behind them, walked in front of the group to explain what they were going to do.

"Alright guys, today me and Naruto are going to spar so I know her skill level, okay?" He ended by looking at Naruto in question. She simply nodded, walking toward her new sensei.

Rin looked around, noticing Kakashi was still a ways back.

"Wait, Kakashi might want to see this too." She told them, turning toward Kakashi. "Kakashi, are you going to come to watch the fight or not?" She called out to him. When he just looked at her in confusion she sent an apologetic glance at the group before walking over to him and dragging him back to the group.

\---

Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard the voice from above the group.

"Wow, you sound just like somebody I used to know." It was her. The girl from the training grounds who had almost given him a haircut the other day.

The shocked look that painted Minato-sensei's face worried Kakashi more than her though. How could a small little girl like her get around Minato's sensors? It seemed almost impossible. Unless she possessed no chakra to sense at all. Even then, to get into that tree so soundlessly, she had to have prior ninja training, meaning she had chakra, even if it was a very small amount.

She jumped down, and Kakashi ignored the introductions given by his sensei.

Obito began a conversation with her, and the bitter edge to her voice caught his attention. As he studied her stance he noticed she was ready for an attack at any angle. She was relaxed, but at the same time, he could almost feel the tense air that radiated from her.

"Oh, I had just gotten there. Wanted to make a dramatic entrance. The hero always shows up at the last minute, right?" She replied to his question of when she had gotten here.

"Oh yeah, very last minute indeed." He mumbled, straying from the group as their conversation continued. He couldn't help but notice how she tensed up when he had spoken, but when he glanced over at her again, she looked completely fine. 

The topic of conversation had now turned to him as they argued about how grumpy he was. Rin had defended Obito's attack on his personality while Naruto had questioned if anyone even _could_ get through life without smiling. She had probably had quite the cushy life if she thought that.

He couldn't help but notice, and he hated himself for it, how the sun shone off her hair making her look like the sun itself. He shook his head and looked away from the bright hair, a crimson blush making its way up his neck at the thought. Why was she affecting him like this?

"Kakashi, are you going to come to watch the fight or not?" Rin yelled to him. He realized he had slowed down and spaced out for a moment. He must have missed something because he didn't remember hearing anything about a fight. The confusion must have shown on his face because Rin walked over and explained it to him as they walked towards Obito.

"Minato-sensei is going to see what level Naruto is at by sparring with her. Isn't that cool?" She exclaimed as they reached Obito.

He looked past him to see his sensei and Naruto standing a couple feet away from each other. Suddenly, Naruto smiled which must have unsettled Minato, because that was when she struck.


	7. The One Where Traps Are Everywhere And She Is Nowhere

Naruto smirked at her new sensei, which unsettled him. At this point, he was used to being respected, even feared sometimes, yet this girl had the nerve to smile at him as if he were nothing.

That was his mistake. He was distracted by the why and the how, ignoring the now. He didn't even seem to notice at first when she attacked, going for the frontal, easiest to block, spot on him. This made the other teammates wonder. Why would she go for such an obvious attack? Maybe it was a trap or a trick. That thought was crushed when Minato blocked the attack, sending her flying back and hitting a tree.

He immediately ran over to her to make sure she was alright, forgetting the fight. Any regular shinobi would be put out of a fight by that big a blow. His instincts must have kicked in at some point when she had attacked him.

As the smoke cleared, they looked at the tree to see no one there. The dent in the tree the shape of a small ten-year-old girl was clear as day, but she was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Minato was pulled onto the air by his feet, a thin wire wrapped around them.

It _had_ been a trap.

He just smirked as he cut the wire holding him up, flipping so he could land gracefully on his feet. He had underestimated the girl, and he had paid the price.

Deciding not to make that same mistake twice, he carefully scanned his surroundings. Nothing. After realizing he was safe to move around he walked the perimeter of the clearing. He couldn't sense her anywhere. HE decided to go all out and placed his hand on the ground. Minato felt a small pulse of chakra from the other side of the clearing, and ran over, jumping into the trees.

He realized just in time, it had also been a trap. Another wire went to wrap itself around his leg once again, but he had just enough time to jump out of the way.

"_So, she's a trapper. Doesn't seem to like close combat. This could work to my advantage if I could find her._" He thought as he jumped through the trees. For a girl wearing all bright colors, she was quite difficult to find.

After a while, he saw her. She was hanging upside-down in a tree, hooking her legs around the branch to keep her in place.

"_So that's why I couldn't sense her. She's suppressing her chakra, not using it at all. Not even to fight._" He realized as he attempted to sneak behind her.

Just as he was about to grab her, she jumped up into a fighting position. Maybe he had been wrong to assume she wasn't a close-range fighter. But before he could even make a move against her, she jumped up and seemed to disappear.

He quickly looked all around him, up, left, right, in front, behind, where could she have gone? Just as he thought of the only possibility a fist hit the bottom of his chin, sending him flying up into the air.

"_I can't believe I didn't think to look down._" He thought as he twisted to land gracefully on a branch. Judging by this, her fighting style was probably brute force. If that was the case she shouldn't have too much technique, which played right into his hands.

He quickly jumped over to where she had been, only to find her missing. He looked everywhere, including down, and did not see even a flash of yellow or orange. Then he felt it, a pulse of chakra coming from just a few meters away.

Remembering what had happened last time he went toward a pulse of chakra he had sensed, he made sure to be extra careful not to step into any traps. As he got closer he felt her chakra growing every second. How had she been able to suppress it for this long and not let any of it spill through the cracks?

She stood there, on one of the branches, the chakra she had suppressed rolling off of her, alleviating her from the pressure of holding it in. She was breathing heavily as she stood there. It must have taken quite the toll on her body to do that.

"For such a young student, you are quite gifted. Even I wouldn't have been able to suppress that much chakra for that long." He called to her, making her whole body flinch.

She quickly turned around, putting distance between them.

\---

"_Kurama, I can't keep suppressing my chakra like this. It's hard enough to suppress yours all the time, but the rest of it too? No can do._" She told him, allowing the walls holding in her chakra to be blown to bits as it flowed freely through her body.

"_Alright, but he's coming now. He can tell exactly where you are. He will be here soon._" He told her.

"_What am I going to do? I can't just forfeit. I can't use either of my Rasengan techniques. I shouldn't use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, either. We both know my taijutsu is unexceptional, even with the training from Mount Myōboku. I usually rely on my jutsu to get me through a battle, but right now I can't use any of my usual jutsu._" She was almost whining at this point.

"For such a young student, you are quite gifted. Even I wouldn't have been able to suppress that much chakra for that long." She heard the easily recognizable voice behind her. 

"_I told you so._" Kurama chided her as she jumped back to a branch further away, hoping he didn't notice her wince as he spoke.

"Now, if you are done running and hiding, I would like to judge your taijutsu and ninjutsu skills." He chuckled as he jumped closer to her, only for her to jump back once again.

"Isn't a ninja supposed to hold back their true power until the moment it is needed?" She argued weakly, still trying to figure out how to fight him and not completely look like a loser.

"That only applies to your enemies," He replied, looking worried for a second at the thought of her thinking they were her enemies. Realizing she was just trying to get out of fighting, he continued, "I need to know exactly what you are capable of so that I can successfully run this team without you all getting in each other's ways."

She looked back at her teacher.

"_Eh, what the hell._" She thought before jumping at him.


	8. The One Where The Actual Fighting Begins (And Ends)

"_Eh, what the hell._" She thought before jumping at him.

Seeing her overly-obvious attack, he quickly blocked, only for her to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"_Clones, eh?_" He smirked. This would be fun.

They came at him from all angles, and he was barely able to block the shurikens they threw. He thanked whoever was watching over him that he was able to and quickly took care of all the clones. As the last one disappeared he saw Naruto standing on a faraway branch. She looked conflicted. While she was distracted he crept up behind her.

"_Behind you,_" Kurama warned the girl.

She quickly twisted around and blocked the hand he was going to use to knock her out.

"Am I really so special that you were going to knock me out rather than just get me to concede?" She joked as they traded blows, though Minato had taken an exponentially smaller amount than she had at this point. How was she still even standing, much less fighting?

She seemed to see his attacks before he even knew what he was going to do. She didn't have any visual jutsu that he knew of, and he didn't know of anything else that could do that. She must have immense speed. Maybe more than Kakashi.

He realized that the reason she was taking so many hits was that she wasn't on defense at all. She was solely focused on offense.

"_Brute force, huh? She has the speed to be a stealth ninja, but not the strength to be a brute force attacker. Unless..._" His train of thought was slowly derailed as he was punched in the face. She was holding back, pulling her punches. He could tell by the way she hit him. She could take any hit, and probably hit back with twice as much force, but she was holding back right now. Why?

They continued like this for quite a while. Somehow, Naruto was still awake and fighting, though she was still taking the brunt of all of his attacks. She continued to fight with the same passion and energy she had begun with. She reminded him a lot of Kushina in that way. Her seemingly endless amounts of energy and stamina.

He noticed that she had not used any jutsu except the Clone Jutsu at the beginning of their fight. With all the chakra she had, she had to be able to do some exceptional jutsu. So why wasn't she using them?

As both of them reared back for another round he held up his hand in surrender.

"I think I have a good idea of what you can do and how you will fit into our team." He called out, making her stop her attack. When she heard what he had said, she immediately fell onto the branch she had been standing on, exhausted.

He swiftly picked her up and carried her back to the group.

\---

Kakashi waited anxiously as the fight began. This wouldn't last long. Even though she seemed to have quite a good aim with her kunai, Minato-sensei was far to fast to be hit by one. He had not seen her ninjutsu, but her taijutsu had been unexceptional.

Minato ran to the tree Naruto had just been thrown into and Kakashi assumed the battle was over. She was done for. So much for being able to watch a match. But when the smoke cleared around the tree their sensei was revealed, attempting to cut himself free from a trap that had been set for him, and Naruto was nowhere in sight.

He realized then what she had done. She had taken the hit on purpose to lure him into a trap. Minato's nature would just make him run to make sure his student was alright, and she knew that and took advantage of it. Smart.

He finally got free and cut himself loose. He then did a quick check around the perimeter of the clearing. Seeming to find nothing, he placed his hand on the ground. Minato quickly rose his head and ran to the other side of the clearing, slowing down as he entered the trees, remembering what had happened last time he ran in blind.

Kakashi had assumed wrong when he had thought the fight would be fast. He heard a few noises that sounded like bombs, or maybe just people hitting each other with a lot of force. After a while he sat down, followed by Obito and Rin. They all watched in anticipation, though Kakashi refused to show it.

Quite a time after that, all sounds of battle stopped and soon Minato came out of the trees carrying an unconscious Naruto in his arms. He didn't know why, but he hated the sight of her bloody and bruised.

Maybe it was just because he had found her like that, but worse, when training one day and didn't want to see _anyone_ in that bad a condition. He accepted this as the reason, for there was no other explanation possible.

"What did you do, knock her out?" Obito asked, worry seeping into the cocky voice.

"No, she fought so long and hard she collapsed from exhaustion the moment I called off the match." Their sensei explained.

"Oh." He replied lamely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, short, slightly filler chapter-esque, but I didn't want to force it anymore by dragging on the scene. Thank you.


	9. The One Where Tears Are Shed

"So, what happened?" Obito and Rin had been hammering her with this question since they had left their training for that day. None of them had seen anything other than her practically getting thrown into the tree, then disappearing. After that, it had just been their sensei looking confused as he searched for her and the sounds of a battle in the forest.

As the four of them entered the small food stand, for they had all dragged Kakashi along, she began explaining. She told them how she had taken the hit on purpose because she knew she would be able to get out of it with minimal damage _and_ be able to set a trap for Minato-sensei. She then explained the other trap she had set and then how the fight had ensued. She left out certain details of course, like the fact that she had massive amounts of chakra she had somehow managed to suppress, how she had argued whether or not to even fight him with the demon inside of her, leaving out the fact that she even had a demon inside her, one more real than most.

They looked at her in shock, and awe in Rin's case, as she explained the whole debacle to them. Of course, Kakashi tried his hardest to cover his look of shock with his usual placid expression, failing to do so before she caught sight of him. She swelled up with pride at the fact that she had been able to get that reaction from the younger Kakashi but didn't know why.

Kakashi was just amazed at how she had been able to fool Minato-sensei so easily. Naruto had not given him the impression at first that she was capable of such a thing. Sure, maybe threatening people, and maybe even good aim, but to have such strategic prowess at such a young age...

She explained it as if she had thought of the whole thing right on the spot and carried it out with much ease, although he felt something was missing. He decided not to pry, a lesson he had learned from his sensei.

As they ate, a question popped into the Hatake's head. He was appalled at himself for not thinking to ask before but chalked it up to being distracted by the spar.

"What clan do you belong to, Naruto?" He asked suddenly, with no warning. He had been hoping to catch her off guard and make sure she couldn't lie, but it seemed as if she had been expecting the question.

"I forgot to tell you, didn't I? My name Naruto Sarutobi." She grinned at them with a blindingly bright smile, but there was sadness there. She must know what it was like to be all alone in the world.

Naruto was saddened at the fact that she could not use her real name. She was proud of her Uzumaki heritage and didn't want to have to give that up for any reason. It had been Oji-Chan's idea to use his last name, and it would give an excuse for her to be going to his office as often as she did. But she couldn't help but be sad at the fact that she had to disguise herself to some of the people she cared most about because they had no idea who she was.

"What? You're related to the Hokage? But you look nothing like him. Also, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a daughter." Obito stated skeptically, and, although he would never admit it, Kakashi agreed with him.

"I'm adopted, but he didn't want anyone to know I was daughter in case of enemies." She quickly explained, trying to escape the hole they had to begin digging for her.

Kakashi looked like he was about to ask another question, and most likely try to pry the truth out of her. She had never been very good at lying to him. Before he could, though, he was interrupted by Obito.

"That makes sense. Doesn't it, Rin?" He asked the girl who was sitting between the two boys. She seemed to be acting almost like a barrier between them, or maybe she was the thing keeping them both here. She simply nodded in response as she continued to eat her food.

Obito smiled and began making small talk with the other two as Naruto sullenly sat in her seat. She looked over and saw them all smiling. She could even see the ghost of a smile on Kakashi's lips as Obito made a stupid joke that even he couldn't resist.

It was times like this that she missed her old friends. She missed the way they would make fun of her in a good-natured way, the way they would always laugh with each other, the way they would reprimand her for eating too much junk food. She couldn't help the tear that dripped down her cheek. Deciding it was time to take her leave, she quickly said her goodbyes and walked home, hoping no one noticed the tears that slowly slipped down her cheeks.

"I'm home." She called out to the empty apartment.

As she walked in, she half expected Iruka to be there, telling her she should get more sleep before forcing her into bed. Or maybe she expected Kakashi to be sneaking vegetables into her fridge in an attempt to get her to eat healthily. Maybe she even expected her parents to be there waiting for her, a warm hug ready for when she finally got home. At least one thing about her had stayed the same throughout her life. Her naïve dreams of having parents there when she got home, of having food ready when she entered the door.

She meandered her way to her bed and collapsed into it, hoping the pillow would hide any evidence of the sobs that were currently racking her body.

\---

As Naruto left, Kakashi noticed tears slipping down her cheeks. He was shocked to find out that this worried him. Why should he be worried? She was just a member of his group, just a tool to get the mission finished, even at the cost of her life. At that thought, he felt his fists clench. For some reason, the thought of any harm coming to her hurt him.

"Are you okay?" Rin asked, noticing the way his hands were forced into tight fists.

"I'm fine, I think I'll be going home now." He told them as he exited the small booth. He found himself following Naruto on the rooftops as she quickly made her way to what he presumed to be her home.

"I'm home." She called out as she opened the door, only to find an empty apartment.

"_Is she like me? Does she have no one waiting for her?_" Kakashi thought, "_No, she has the Hokage. She has a family, people who care about her and who she cares about. I have no one. I need no one._" He resolutely decided in his head, but as he saw her fall onto her bed, he couldn't ignore the stab of pain that went through his heart as he saw the sobs rack her body.

He quickly turned away and went back to his own empty home, also having no one to answer him as he called out.

"I'm home."


	10. The One Where She Is Very, Very Nervous

Naruto was very nervous, which was not a word usually used to describe the young Uzumaki. Usually, she was brave and looked everything right in the face, never thinking of the repercussions it could cause. She never cared for consequences, so the fact that she was almost _scared_ worried her teammates.

\---

Just a day before Naruto had been training with her team. They hadn't been on a mission on a while, and she needed something to do. She needed a mission, even if it was just saving a stupid cat from a tree or carrying old ladies' groceries. She had no idea where Obito found all of these helpless old people that caused him to be so late, but she desperately needed to know so she had _something_ to do.

She was about to just outright demand where Obito went to find all of these old people when Minato called them all to gather in the middle of the clearing.

"Alright everyone, I am happy to say, we will all be busy tomorrow night." He beamed at them.

As if everyone except her knew exactly what this meant she saw a multitude of reactions. There was the ghost of a smile on Kakashi's face that had just about been the happiest she'd seen him through their entire time together. She looked to Rin to see a look of outright, pure, joy on her face. Expecting the same, she turned to Obito and was shocked by what he saw. He looked almost annoyed. She could tell by the look on his face it was only because he was trying to be cool around Kakashi, and if it had been only the four of them, he would probably also be smiling, beaming even. What could possibly elicit such reactions from her teammates?

Noticing the look of confusion on her face as she studied her teammates, Minato came to a realization. Naruto had never met Kushina. Strangely, she was always wandering off somewhere when she would occasionally drop off lunch, and Naruto had never been one to question free food. Whenever she came by to help them with training, she had always been off doing something else, or couldn't make it to training that day. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how similar to two were. They both had no regard for social norms, were easy to anger, and showed their heart on their sleeve, even if it got them in trouble more than either of them would like to admit.

"We're going to Kushina's for dinner?" Kakashi asked in the most monotone voice he could muster. No matter how aloof he tried to act, Minato knew he loved Kushina like the mother he had never had. Both of them loved each other's company and Kushina was always tried to bring him out of his self-imposed bubble of loneliness. Yet another thing she and Naruto had in common.

It did not go unnoticed that Naruto flinched at the name, though she tried to hide it. None of the others questioned this anymore. She seemed to just do this sometimes when she heard of a name or place. Almost as if it shocked her to hear it. This reaction, however, drew the attention of the blond team captain. She hadn't been this visibly flustered since she had met the team for the first time.

She quickly excused herself before anyone could ask what was wrong and ran towards, what he assumed, was her home at an inhuman speed.

\---

Naruto didn't know what to do. She had avoided her every time she came near the training grounds by pretending she was sick, going off and training somewhere else, pretending she was busy, etc.

She had thought of finding her mother on the street somewhere and attempting to casually start a conversation with her, but had chickened out whenever she actually saw her. It probably would have been better to do that than to make her team question her sanity as she ran from the training grounds. What if they weren't dense and connected the dots? What if someone finally realized that Naruto looked exactly like her sensei and acted exactly like his wife? Though, she didn't exactly have a choice. If she decided not to go to dinner with them, she would be seen as rude in the eyes of everyone who's opinion mattered to her; Minato, Kushina, and Kakashi.

She decided the best thing to do was to just get it over with, maybe she could make it through the dinner without puking because she was meeting her mother, who was alive, again for the first time in years. This would be the Kushina of before her time, the Kushina that existed before she had a child and gave her life for it. This was a Kushina she had never met.

She decided she could do it.


	11. The One Where He Is Actually A Gentleman (Kind Of)

She changed her mind, she couldn't do this. But it was too late to turn back now. As she stood at the door of the Namikaze residence, she felt the sweat practically pouring down her face as she knocked. She was hit with a wave of relief as Kakashi opened the door for her. He felt his stomach twist at the smile that adorned her face as he opened the door and blamed it on deciding not to eat lunch so he could stuff himself with as much of Kushina's delicious food as possible.

"Come in, I guess." He motioned for her to enter the building before adding on, "You're late, not as late as Obito, but late."

Naruto felt a crimson blush force it's way up her neck as he whispered in her ear. She could feel her hair brush her face as his nose pushed it aside.

"Naruto, I'm glad you could come. Come into the kitchen, Kushina's been dying to meet you." She heard a voice call from behind her. It was Minato, who looked very strange since he was not wearing his usual flak jacket. She saw a pink apron on one of the chairs in the dining room and almost laughed at the image of him wearing it. A smile spread across her face as she struggled to keep the laugh from escaping.

The smile quickly dropped from her face as she saw a flash of red hair before Kushina was in front of her. She squeaked in surprise before almost falling back. Kushina had managed to grab her wrist and pull her into a quick hug before she could though.

"I'm so glad to meet you, dattebane. Minato has told me so much about you." She then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I think you might be his favorite."

"Kushina, I think you're scaring her. She's never met you before, remember?" Minato sounded like a child reprimanding their child.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" She asked real worry in her voice at the thought of scaring away Minato's student.

Naruto just shook her head slowly, though, in truth, she had been terrified when her mother had suddenly appeared in front of her.

"See Minato, she's fine." She told him before pulling her into another hug.

Naruto caught sight of Kakashi sitting at the table, a look of pity on his face. She couldn't understand why. She had wanted to be hugged by her mother like this since she knew what a mother was. She imagined this happening every time she came home from a mission, or just when she got back after a long day of training. The thought of that made tears come to her eyes and she quickly excused herself to the bathroom.

"_Kurama, why can't I hold in my tears like I used to be able to?_" She asked the demon inside of her.

"_This is not the war-torn, mature body you are used to being in. You are only nine years old. You are very emotionally vulnerable right now._" The fox explained.

"_If it's this bad now, imagine what my period will be like._" Both of them shuddered at the thought, but the small bit of humor had helped Naruto regain some composure as she exited the bathroom.

As she entered the dining area, she noticed Obito had arrived, and there was a look of complete joy on his face that disappeared whenever Kakashi was looking and was replaced with a sour one.

"Naruto, hurry up, the food is almost ready." Obito gestured for her to sit down, he had a smile on his face that told her Kakashi wasn't looking.

She took the only seat, not at either end of the table, which also happened to be next to Kakashi. She saw the smirk on Kushina's face as she sat down and knew she had planned this.

"_Of course she did, she's my mother after all._" Naruto thought.

Soon after, Kushina brought a large steaming pot over to the table before setting it down. It was ramen, and the smell practically had Naruto drooling.

"Minato told me ramen is your favorite, Naruto, and since this is your first time over, I thought I'd make it for you," Kushina explained, a soft smile on her face.

"Thank you." She replied in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

"Itadkimasu." They all said before digging into their steaming ramen.

Naruto quickly downed her food before glancing over at Kakashi, whose bowl was also empty, his mask pulled up. It reminded her of the time her, Sakura, and Sasuke had tried to see his face by taking him out for ramen. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji had interrupted them, denying them even a glance at his face.

\---

After eating more ramen, and talking for hours, everyone decided it was time to go home. Before Kakashi could leave, Kushina pulled him aside.

"Walk Naruto home." She demanded simply.

He looked at her in confusion. She was a perfectly capable kunoichi who would beat up anyone who tried to do anything to her. She had even evaded Minato-sensei's sensors. He voiced his thoughts to Kushina.

A vein appeared on her forehead as he finished. "He never told me that she was _that_ skilled, so skilled she managed to evade his sensor."

Kakashi simply nodded, hoping this would be enough to convince her Naruto did not need a chaperone to walk her home. Sure, she was an idiot troublemaker, but she could always handle the situations she got herself into.

"You will walk her home anyway," Kushina said, a tone of finality in her voice. He just nodded, knowing she wasn't going to give up and that she would probably follow them, just to make sure he did it. He didn't really even have a choice.

"Fine," He said in an exasperated tone.

After saying all their goodbyes, Kakashi walked over to Naruto.

"We walk the same direction, and no one should walk alone at night, so can we walk together?" He asked. It sounded less creepy than just telling her he was going to walk her home whether she wanted him to or not, but it also made him sound scared.

She didn't seem to catch that though, because she gratefully accepted, choosing to ignore the bright smiles on her parent's faces as she walked out with Kakashi.


	12. The One Where She Can't Catch A Break

It had been a little over two years since Naruto had joined Team Minato. She would still sometimes have relapses where she would have to leave training so she could sob in peace, away from prying eyes and pitiful comfort. She had grown used to this new life but still yearned for her old one. She would sometimes forget she didn't belong in this time and would call Minato 'dad'. It had been embarrassing enough the first time, so when she had accidentally called Kushina 'mom' one time, it was terrible. Obito had refused to stop teasing her about it since that day.

Minato had called them to the training grounds, saying they had a very important mission. Just when he was about to send someone out looking for the only member of the team who wasn't there yet, he crashed into the clearing. Literally.

"Did I make it?" He asked, his face buried in the dirt.

"No Obito, you're late." Kakashi was the first to answer. "What time did you think we were supposed to meet? If you're a full-fledged ninja you're expected to follow the rules." He scolded the Uchiha.

"Well I was on the way, but an old lady carrying a load asked me for directions, then I got something in my eye and-" He was interrupted by Kakashi.

"Obito, if you're going to lie, at least make it convincing." He sighed.

Minato must have decided it was time to chime in because he stopped their argument by interrupting.

"Obito showed the old lady the way, right?" He asked, obviously trying to distract them. Rin looked like she was about to yell at them before he intervened, though, so it could have also just been that. 

Obito nodded, and that was the end of the conversation. Everyone knew not to mess with Minato-sensei when he got angry, although they all knew Kushina was about twenty times worse.

"We have a mission tomorrow, I will explain on the way, but we have to meet at the gate at dawn." He announced, which was followed by a series of 'hai's as they all left to pack.

\---

They stopped near the border as Minato explained the mission. They were to sneak behind enemy lines and destroy Kannabi Bridge. If they could do this it would turn the tides of the war, maybe even ending it once and for all. Naruto knew it would be a bitter victory if it worked, for there would just be another war after that, but they didn't need to know that.

"We will be splitting into two teams. Since Kakashi is a jonin now, he will be leading the three of you. I will split off and be a distraction to help you make it into enemy territory easier. Try your best now to get caught, okay?" He looked them all in the eye, lingering for a moment on Obito.

"Hai." They chorused.

As they reached the border Minato pulled out a three-pronged kunai.

"My gift to you for becoming a jonin. It's a little heavy, and kind of odd shaped, but once you get accustomed to it, it becomes easier to use." He explained.

Rin was next. She handed him a small pouch that would easily clip onto his belt and not hinder his movements.

"Here! A personalized special medkit I adjusted things a little, to make it easier to use." She told him, refusing to look him in the eyes, a crimson blush making its way up her neck.

After her, Naruto went. She was never really any good with gifts but remembered a story he had told her once about the first mission he went on as a jonin. She pulled out a short, tube-shaped present wrapped in paper.

"You can open it after the mission, but I'll give it to you now anyway." He packed it away, strapping it to his leg.

Kakashi held out his had to Obito who just glared at him.

"What's the hand for? I don't have anything to give you."

"Oh well, I don't mind. It probably would have been useless anyway." He replied. It was then that Naruto zoned out, knowing this would turn into another one of their stupid squabbles where either Rin or Minato jumped in to put a stop to it before things went too far. She only wished Sakura had done that with her and Sasuke.

Not too long after, as they continued to make their way to where they would split up, Kakashi suddenly motioned for them to stop. Out of the corner of her eye, Naruto saw Minato give the slightest smile.

"Good catch, Kakashi," He complimented, earning a disgruntled grunt from Obito. "Everyone, be on your guard, there are twenty of them, although I think it's just a Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"I can attack. Can you cover me?" Kakashi asked their sensei.

"Don't be hasty, you should just back me up." He replied, futilely trying to get Kakashi to give up on his crazy determination to do this alone.

"Sensei, with all due respect, I am captain today, and rules dictate that a team must follow their captain's orders. Plus, I have a new jutsu I've been working on." Kakashi hunched over and grabbed his arm with his opposite hand. As he got into position Naruto knew exactly what he was going to do.

"_Chidori._" She thought at the exact same time as Kakashi yelled.

"Chidori." A ball of lightning appeared in his hand. Naruto looked at the shocked faces of her teammates and realized this was probably the first time they'd ever seen it. She quickly also painted a look of shock on her face that, thankfully, went unnoticed by the team.

Kakashi then jumped into action. Naruto noticed that his movements were choppy, though, and he seemed like he wasn't completely in control. Minato blocked any and all attacks that came Kakashi's way from the Shadow Clones.

This wasn't right. He was always able to block attacks with his Chidori. Why couldn't he now? That was when the realization dawned on her. He didn't have his Sharingan yet. The Sharingan was what allowed him to see an opponent's moves before they even made them, and be able to counterattack even while going at high speeds.

The group continued to walk through the forest as Kakashi cleared the way ahead of them. Naruto looked over to see Obito with tears in his eyes as a Shadow Clone popped out of the ground, only to be quickly taken care of by Minato.

Minato suddenly disappeared before he reappeared, an injured Kakashi in his arms. Naruto, not thinking of anyone but the injured boy she had come to love once again, rushed forward as Minato set him on the ground, dragging Rin behind her, not noticing that their sensei had disappeared once again.

"Kakashi, you shouldn't have been so reckless." She lectured as Rin healed him.

"I agree with Naruto. Your wound is serious. We will retreat and regroup while you heal." Minato said, walking over to make sure his student was alright.

"I'm fine." He mumbled.

"No, you're not." A voice chimed in from behind them. They turned around to see Obito. "And all because you decided it would be a good idea to ignore sensei's warning and charge ahead."

"I don't have to listen to you. All you did was cry. Do you even know the Shinobi Rules? Rule 25, a ninja must never show their tears." Kakashi argued.

Naruto zoned out once more as another argument took place between the two boys. She only paid attention again as Minato began lecturing them, something that happened often, but never on missions.

"Didn't I teach you? There are times when the situation requires impromptu responses against the enemy." He told them.

"There, you see?" Obito smiled in victory, but it was soon wiped from his face as Minato turned to face him.

"Obito, you too! There's no way dust can get into your eyes when you have

goggles on. If you're going to advocate self-control, don't just mouth the words.

Act strong too.

"And one other thing Kakashi You shouldn't use that Jutsu anymore. From what I could see, your focal point concentrated attack undoubtedly has power and speed But it makes you move too fast to ascertain the opponent's counterattack. It's still an imperfect Jutsu." He explained, his tone softening.

"Alright, we should head back to camp." Rin piped up, attempting to balance Kakashi on her side. He was still woozy from the blood loss.

"Rin, let me help." Naruto walked over and grabbed his other arm, linking it over her shoulder.

They then headed back to camp so Rin could heal him better and they could all get a good night's worth of sleep.


	13. The One Where She Finally Understands

Naruto was awoken from her peaceful sleeping by talking coming from her father atop the rock that they had camped out next to. She decided not to alert them she was awake, just listen. Though, since she had decided to sleep facing away from everyone else, she couldn't turn around and see who was up there with him.

"Kakashi is the son of the genius ninja, Sakumo Hatake, feared as the 'White Fang' of the Leaf. Even the legendary names of the Leaf's Three Great Ninja paled before his father's. His childhood years were spent under the shadow of such a genius So I guess it can't be helped if, at times, he finds you lacking." Minato explained to whoever was up there with him. Judging by how he was talking, it probably wasn't Kakashi he was talking to.

"White Fang? That's right I've heard of him too. He's the hero who died protecting the village. Kakashi never said a word about that." She knew who it was now that he had spoken. Obito was sitting on the rock with Minato as he told the details of their teammate's life.

"He was a great man Someone respected by everyone in the village, and naturally, by Kakashi himself. That is, until that incident. Perhaps, I shouldn't be telling you something like this But since you're on the same team as Kakashi, I want you to know." Naruto could almost see the look of hesitation on his face as he spoke. She knew he didn't like talking about other people unless absolutely necessary, so this must be important.

"What happened?"

"Kakashi's father, Sakumo, took his own life after being slandered."

She heard the gasp that escaped her teammate's mouth as he absorbed the information. She knew exactly how he felt. She could barely keep in the audible exhibit of shock as she laid on the ground.

"Five years ago, he was the leader of an extremely difficult mission and infiltrated enemy territory. He was forced to make a choice. The mission or his comrades' lives. Of course, according to the rules of the village, completing the mission was the right thing to do. However, in order to save his comrades, he suspended the mission. That resulted in grave losses to the Land of Fire and the village, and he was blamed for it. What's more, the very comrades he saved also criticized him. The whole ordeal took its toll on Sakumo's health, physically and mentally. And finally, he took his life. From then on, Kakashi never uttered a word about his father, and he strictly began to adhere to every rule and regulation."

He paused shortly, and she couldn't tell if it was just to take a breath or because of some other reason, but he continued soon after.

"Obito Try to understand, even if it's just a little. Kakashi means well."

Obito let out a simple grunt of affirmation before she heard him scurrying down the rock. She quickly made sure her eyes were closed and she looked like she had been asleep the whole time before she was actually stolen away by a dreamless sleep.

\---

"It's healing very nicely, but make sure you don't overexert yourself and reopen the wound," Rin told Kakashi as she checked his wound as if telling him that would stop him from doing it anyway. He had taken off his mask so Rin could look at the injury, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get a good look at his face.

"Yeah," He mumbled, not really paying attention to what she was saying. Too distracted with his own thoughts.

After everyone had packed up all their belongings, Kakashi deciding it was best if Minato took his gift for now since he wasn't even allowed to open it yet. It made Naruto a little sad that he was willing to just leave her gift with someone else, but she understood that in the end, he made the smarter choice.

As they reached the border Minato stopped them.

"We'll be splitting up here. Good luck to you all, and be careful. We're in enemy territory now. Scatter." They all jumped into the trees, their sensei going in the opposite direction they were to head in.

The team quickly made their way through the tall bamboo chutes, stopping every once in a while to take a breather and sometimes refill on water from the nearby stream.

As they went to cross a larger portion of the stream-turned-river, Naruto felt a faint chakra signature she didn't recognize. Before she could warn her team they were being attacked by an unknown figure, invisible to the eyes.

"We're taking this one." A voice called out as Rin was lifted up and carried away.

Obito began chasing after the men, only to be stopped in his tracks by Kakashi.

"Don't go after them, Obito. We still have a mission to complete." He ordered, shocking both the remaining members of his team. Naruto knew he had been pretty heartless and stubborn, but this was too far.

"Do you even know what you're saying right now?" She practically yelled at him.

"Yeah, what about Rin? What happens to Rin?" Obito copied her tone, hoping they could convince him to go with them to get her.

"Rin comes after the mission. They just want to know what we're doing here. They won't kill her right away. Also, Rin is a medical ninja. Even if she ends up a prisoner of war she won't be treated too bad as long as she treats their wounded." He explained to them as if that would convince them to leave their friend behind, possibly, to be killed, despite what Kakashi said.

"But-" Kakashi cut Obito off before he could continue.

"If they get that information they will most definitely beef up security around the bridge, making our mission that much more difficult." He added. Naruto hated how logical he sounded at the moment, but not for a moment did the thought of abandoning Rin ever cross her mind.

"You're assuming Rin's safety under baseless assumptions! What if those guys just now are lackeys who don't give a damn? Right now, saving Rin takes priority over the mission." Obito stated, matter-of-factly.

"As a ninja, you must always be prepared to sacrifice teammates for the greater good of the mission. That is the rule." Kakashi argued.

Naruto's head began to spin as she listened to them argue. She had no idea what to do. Minato or Rin always handled arguments before she had to step in and attempt to stop them. She tried to remember what they had done but drew a blank. She remembered how Sakura had always hit him and Sasuke when they fought during the war, and how Kakashi would always just awkwardly try to stop them by timidly asking them to be quiet. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Obito who was speaking in a voice she had never heard from him before.

"I'm going to rescue Rin! You don't understand anything! Not about what happens if you break the rules I believe that the White Fang was a true hero Sure in the world of ninja, those who break the rules and regulations are regarded as scum But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum! I'm gonna be trash anyway, so I choose to break the rules." Naruto froze when she heard him say that sentence. The sentence she didn't think she would ever hear again. She knew then just why Kakashi had drilled that lesson into their heads the first time they met up as a team. "And if that doesn't make me a true ninja Then I'll crush this so-called 'ninja'."

Obito jumped into the tall bamboo before turning around.

"Are you coming with me or staying with him, Naruto?"

Before she could even think about what she was doing, she sent Kakashi an apologetic glance.

"I have to. She's my friend, and she's yours too. You should come, but even if you don't we will get Rin back, safe and sound. Okay?" She tried to sound cheerful as if this was all part of some well thought out plan, rather than a coup. Without thinking, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading out with Obito, leaving behind a flustered Kakashi. Though he would never admit it.


	14. The One Where One Life Is Saved, But Another Is Lost

Kakashi would never admit it, but he was flustered and doubting himself. Maybe it was the strong words from Obito, showing him what friends were supposed to be. Maybe it was the gentle words from Naruto telling him how he could fix the mistake he had just made. Maybe it was the gentle kiss on the cheek from her before she left, as if she might not come back.

The last thought made his stomach twist in dread. The thought of her- of any of them - getting hurt, made him feel sick inside. He felt a jab of pain where he had been cut, and the moments he had shared with his team ran through his head like a freight train.

'_It's healing very nicely, but make sure you don't overexert yourself and reopen the wound._' Rin's encouraging tone that seemed to heal him, even without using any medical ninjutsu.

'_When you and I were wounded, Rin saved our lives with her Medical Ninjutsu! If she hadn't been there, we'd both be dead by now! Right now, saving Rin takes priority over the mission._' Obito's strong tone that Kakashi had never heard him use before.

'_Kakashi, rules and regulations are indeed important. But that isn't everything._' Minato's voice repeating the very thing he had told him multiple times before, but he had neglected to take heed to his warnings.

'_I have to. She's my friend, and she's yours too. You should come, but even if you don't we will get Rin back, safe and sound._' Naruto's soft, cheerful voice that managed to cheer him up, no matter what happened.

'_I believe that the White Fang was a true hero Sure in the world of ninja, those who break the rules and regulations are regarded as scum But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum._' Obito's voice again, speaking about his father. His father who had killed himself because of the ridicule that came with saving his comrades.

'_Kakashi, your friends are the most important things. Without them, we have nothing._' His father's voice. He had forgotten about that moment, buried it away with all the other memories of his father that were too painful to remember.

He couldn't. Yet he had to. He had to save the people who had been there by his side since the beginning. The people who cared about him, even though he was so callous to them.

He swiftly turned around and headed in the direction Naruto and Obito had gone in, following their scent once he had caught it. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

\---

"I can do this," Obito repeated to himself as he sat on the branch of a tall tree.

"Then let's go in rather than just sitting here talking to ourselves," Naruto mumbled, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Okay, okay." He slapped himself to help him wake up and decided he was ready to go in.

Just as he was about to go in, Naruto felt the same chakra she had when Rin had been taken. Once again, the man attacked before she could even warn Obito. Her instincts kicked in and she jumped away from the attack, leaving Obito wide open.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The man brought his kunai down on Obito, and Naruto saw blood. Kakashi was standing in front of Obito and had made a nasty gash on the man's chest, but the man had moved just enough for it not to be fatal.

"Kakashi? Why are you here?" Obito stuttered.

"Well, I couldn't very well leave it to a crybaby ninja and a hyperactive knucklehead, now could I?" He chuckled. Naruto sent him a smile that said 'thank you' and though, for the slightest second, he returned it. Suddenly, their heads snapped to the ninja who had attacked them as he spoke in a quivering voice.

"That silver hair and white chakra blade. Could it be? Don't tell me you're the White Fang of The Leaf."

"This blade is a keepsake from my father." He held up the blade as if to put emphasis on it.

"Oh, you're just the White Fang's kid? Then there's no reason to fear you." The man said before disappearing once again.

Naruto could barely track his chakra signature, so she had no idea where he could be. Even Kakashi seemed to have trouble finding him. They were going to have to rely on sound alone.

"Naruto, go in and save Rin. We can handle this guy." Obito yelled to her.

She nodded, but before she could even move, Kakashi had thrown Obito to the ground. She didn't even have time to process it before Kakashi was writhing on the ground, blood spilling from his eye.

Now Naruto was angry.

"Where did you go? Why do you hide? Are you afraid?" She taunted, hoping he would come out, but the only response she got was an echoing chuckle.

"Go Naruto. We can get him." Obito yelled to her once again. She looked down at him to see his eyes red, not only lit up by the Sharingan but also with anger. Anger at himself for not protecting his friends, anger with the world for letting things turn out this way, but most importantly, anger at the ninja who had just hurt Kakashi. Naruto could tell he would be able to do this by himself and jumped away towards the building.

Naruto entered the fort quietly, making sure she was not seen or heard.

"You are surprisingly stubborn." He mumbled, holding up Rin's head by her hair.

Before she could attack him with the element of surprise, Obito and Kakashi barged in, practically announcing themselves as easy targets.

'_Idiots_' Kurama mumbled in her head.

'_Oh, so _now_ you show up. Where were you earlier when we were trying to track down the guy who just cut Kakashi's freaking eye out?_' She yelled at the fox demon.

She got no answer in response.

Her attention shifted to her two other teammates as they engaged in battle with the opposing ninja. She quietly moved back to Rin and attempted to silently undo the genjutsu that she had been put under, but he must have seen her, because next thing she knew, there was a kunai in her shoulder, the tip sticking out the front. She tried her best to ignore the searing pain, but couldn't. For it to hurt this much, it must have been coated in some type of poison. The shouts coming from her other teammates weren't helping either.

She ignored the kunai and turned around. If she left it in she wouldn't be able to heal, but the poison may have halted that ability anyway, so at the moment she was focused on keeping in as much blood as possible.

"Shut up and fight him while I get Rin out." She yelled to them. She shuddered as she realized how much like her mother she had just sounded but decided now was not the time to be thinking of such things.

She finally managed to focus enough to release the genjutsu Rin was under just as Kakashi and Obito ran over to cut the ropes she was tied in.

"Kakashi. Obito. Naruto." She mumbled, her mind still fuzzy from the genjutsu.

"We've come to save you, Rin," Obito whispered gently.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Kakashi ordered them.

They helped her get up and she steadied herself on Obito's shoulder before standing herself. She had yet to notice Naruto's wound, but she decided it was the fuzziness from the jutsu and the fact that she was currently standing behind Rin.

A chuckle came from behind them. They turned around to see the ninja they had just beat getting up off the ground.

"You two made a good team, and you, the blonde, good job getting past me, not many people can do that. In the end, though, you're still all just kids." He finished before using a jutsu and running from the collapsing structure.

Suddenly the whole building was shaking as rocks began to fall.

"Run for the exit," Kakashi yelled over the noise of rocks falling and breaking.

They ran for the exit, trying to avoid the falling rocks at all costs, knowing even just one hit could knock them out, which would mean the end. They were almost to the exit when Kakashi was hit. A rock had fallen and hit him in his blind spot.

"Kakashi." Rin and Naruto yelled in unison.

Obito quickly ran back to pick up Kakashi so he could carry him, but before he could even move, he had thrown him aside and a could of dust surrounded him. When the dust cleared, they were all shocked at what they saw.

"Are you all alright? Rin? Kakashi? Naruto?" A weak voice came from under the rock.

Obito had been crushed, and he was worried about his teammates. He was so selfless he didn't even think to care about himself. That alone made Naruto tear up.

Kakashi quickly ran over and attempted to push the rock off of him.

"Don't, Kakashi, I'm fine. I don't think I'll make it. My right side is completely crushed. I can't even feel it anymore." He whispered, his voice weak.

Kakashi cursed as he listened to Obito's words and realized he was right. Rin seemed to not believe that this could even be happening at all. Naruto knew it was happening, she knew this would happen at some point, but not now. Why now? Why did it have to happen right as she was finally getting used to having someone just like her around? It hurt, even more, to know that he doesn't die, that he comes back in almost twenty years to exact his revenge on the leaf village.

"So what if I'm captain? So what if I made jonin?" Kakashi yelled in anger and anguish.

"Oh right. I had forgotten. I was the only one who didn't give you a gift for becoming jonin. I was wondering what to give you, and I just came up with something. Don't worry, it's not some useless, extra baggage. I'm giving you my Sharingan."

They all gasped in horror and shock as he revealed his gift to Kakashi.

"No matter what anyone in the village says, you are a great jonin. That's how I really feel. Please accept my gift."

Naruto couldn't watch as the eye was transplanted, but when it was over she couldn't look away from her dying friend. His eye was closed, hiding the, now empty, eye socket. She didn't even blink when Kakashi blew a hole in the roof to get them out.

"Kakashi, take care of Rin."

"Yeah," Kakashi mumbled, before pulling out his blade and charging at the enemy. Naruto made a move to help him but stopped when she heard Obito's voice.

"No, Naruto. You are still injured. He can handle them by himself. You'll just get hurt some more." His voice was soft and weak.

"You can't die. You can't. You promised mom that you would bring us all back without a single scratch. You promised." Naruto said suddenly, trying her best to believe this was a dream, even though she knew it wasn't.

"There you go again, calling her mom." He chuckled before wheezing at the pain it caused him. "You know, I never noticed until now."

"Noticed what?" Naruto asked. As long as he kept talking, he was alive.

"That bitter edge to your voice, it's gone. I remember when you first met us, you seemed wary, even after a few months you still weren't comfortable, but you finally are. I'm happy I lived ling enough to see it." He whispered, his voice getting softer as he spoke.

Suddenly Kakashi appeared above the entrance.

"Kakashi, take Rin and Naruto. Get them out of here. Enemy reinforcements will be coming. Keep them both safe." His soft voice had a hard, serious edge as he spoke to Kakashi.

"Obito..."

"Rin, go."

She gave him a hard, stubborn look. The ground began to shake.

"Rin." He ordered simply, but they all knew the meaning behind it.

She gave him one last long look before grabbing Kakashi's hand.

"Naruto, stay safe. I would tell you not to do anything stupid, but it seems an impossible request." He didn't chuckle this time. She could see the light leaving his eyes, and thoughts of his future made her sad.

She grabbed Rin's extended hand and jumped onto the top of the building. The poison on the blade had finally pushed her to her limit because she was then on the ground, the only thing she could see was blackness.


	15. The One Where She Leaves

It had been a few weeks since Obito's death. The Uchiha clan, though they weren't exactly happy about it, had decided to let Kakashi keep Obito's Sharingan. He barely spoke to anyone anymore, and he never seemed to leave Rin and Naruto's sides, deciding he would keep Obito's promise at all costs. So when Naruto told him she was leaving, he tried desperately to get her to stay.

She had met Jiriya only a week after Obito's death, and couldn't fathom losing another person she loved, so she showed him her past, his future. She had asked to be trained at Mount Myōboku, to learn what she hadn't been able to last time she had been there, and he had agreed to take her, even if she couldn't sign the summoning scroll just yet.

"Why do you have to go again?" He asked her, attempting to maintain an uninterested voice.

"I have to train with Master Jiraiya. I couldn't save Obito, so how could I ever hope to save any of you if we were put in a similar situation?" She fired back, her voice filled with emotion.

"Let me come with you." He almost begged, still trying is best to seem apathetic even though they were in the safety of her apartment as she packed her bags.

"You have to stay here, protect Rin. You promised Obito." She argued. They had been going at this for almost twenty minutes now.

"We can both come." His suggestion struck a chord in her, and she was almost tempted to accept. _Almost_.

"The training will be gruesome. Plus, I will be in a safe place the entire time. Master Jiraiya will reverse summon us to the mountain where I will train. Everything will just go better if you and Rin stay here." She continued to attempt to convince him.

It must have finally gotten through his thick skull that she would be fine, becasue he sighed before sitting on her bed.

"Just be sure to stay safe, okay?" He told her, his voice had a hard edge to it, almost like an order. 

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's you and Rin I'm worried about. Whatever will you do without my bright smiles every morning? You'll slip into a pit of sadness and self-pity." She joked, though he could tell she was genuinely worried, and for some strange, unexplainable reason, he needed to reassure her. So he did.

"We'll be fine with Minato-sensei. Don't worry." He was glad when he earned one of her 'bright smiles' in return. He practically melted, though he would never admit to it.

"Glad to hear it. I have to be at the gate in-" She checked the clock beside her bed as a terrified expression came over her face, "Ten minutes ago. Shitshitshitshitshitshi-"

Kakashi grabbed her by the arm to stop her pacing and throwing things haphazardly. When she looked into his eye, she was given a soft smile under his mask and a gentle look in return. It calmed her down enough to remember that she had a kunai with the teleportation scroll on it near the gate for occasions just like this.

"Thanks Kakashi." She told him before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and jumping out the window without looking back.

Not caring of anyone saw, he ran to the window to make sure she hadn't been reckless and made herself into a giant splat on the sidewalk. She had disappeared, and he guessed it was by use of her transportation kunai.

Kakashi felt heat rise up his face as he remembered the kiss she had given him before she left. He was very glad he had his mask on as he left her apartment and walked to Rin's instead.

\--

"I swear I'm not late." Naruto yelled as she ran towards the gate from the bush where she had strategically placed her kunai so it would not be found and moved somewhere where she did not want to end up.

"Actually, you're ten minutes late, Naruto." Minato scolded lightly.

"I had to say my goodbyes." She defended herself.

"Especially to Kakashi, right?" He prdodded.

Naruto suddenly felt her face heat up at the mention of her friend. She crossed her arms, not being able to find the words for a proper comeback. All she could do was slowly scoot closer to her new sensei in the hopes he would get the message and reverse summon them already.

Thankfully, he got the message, because he just laughed and said hid final goodbyes to Minato before they were suddenly atop the mountain she knew so well.


	16. The One Where She Is Too Late (Like Always)

Something was wrong. Naruto could feel it in her gut, the part with the monster trapped inside of her. Something was wrong with the other Kyuubi, meaning something was wrong with her mother.

She quickly got up from the meditation practice she had been failing at.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jiriya asked, a joking tone to his voice.

"It's time." She stated simply, knowing he wold understand just what she meant.

Without packing a bag, she used her transportation kunai to get back to Konoha. She was too late, the attack had begun.

She had to find her father. No matter how much she wanted to save him, he was the only one who could save everyone and seal away the rampaging beast.

_"I can't believe I used to be so primal."_ Kyuubi practically spit in her head.

"Oh shut up." Naruto told the demon.

"Naruto?"

She turned around to see Kakashi standing in the middle of the street.

"Kakashi, where is Minato-sensei?"

"When did you get back?" He asked, seeming to not hear her question.

"This is a matter of life or death. Where is Minato-sensei?"

"On the hill. He's trying to fight the Nine-Tails himself." He seemed to have snapped out of his daze and pointed to a hill in the distance. "We aren't supposed to be over there though. It's too dangerous, according to the adults. I was trying to sneak in when I felt your chakra appear."

"I'm sorry. I have to go, this may be the last time you see me for a while. Don't ask why, you'll understand someday. I promise." Without thinking, only seeing the Kakashi she loved, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips through his mask. "I love you."

And with that she disappeared from his sight, leaving him confused, scared, and flustered.

\--

As Minato fought the demon, he tried to think of a way to destroy it. Nothing came to mind.

"You have to seal it back inside of someone." A voice behind him stated.

He turned around for a moment to see Naruto standing there, looking like a battle-hardened soldier. It was a version of her that was seen rarely, but appeared on occasion. He hated seeing it. What could she have gone through?

"What?" He asked, not quite understanding exactly what she meant.

"Kurama, show him." She mumbled, grabbing the sides of his face and touching their foreheads.

He saw images of her life somewhere else. In a place that looked eerily similar to the Konoha he knew. He saw her fight and finally die before appearing in the Leaf Village.

"You-" He was stopped before he could continue.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, daughter of Minato Namikaaze, the Fourth Hokage and Yellow Flash of The Leaf, and Kushina Uzumaki, last of her clan and Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Nice to finally meet you, Dad."

Naruto practically jumped for joy when she finished her little speech. She had practiced it so many times, knowing she would have to reveal herself at some point to her parents.

"You're my daughter? My little girl?"

"Yes." She told him, a hesitance to her voice.

"Thank god you grow up to be like Kushina. I couldn't ask for more than that."

She blushed for a moment at the compliment before remembering the situation.

"You know what you have to do, right?" There was a certain sadness to her voice that any child would have when sending their parent off to certain death.

He simply nodded and set his plan into action.

\--

Kushina, after being shown her memories and given Naruto's little speech, had been glad to know that her daughter grew up to be like the girl she was named after. She also mentioned something about loving Kakashi, and how they both approved, but she blocked that out.

Once everything had been put in place, Minato and Kushina ushered her away. She hadn't been there she first time, why should she be there now?

But knowing her, she couldn't stay away. She watched as her parents sealed the Nine-Tails away and died before her very eyes.

As she fell to the ground to grieve, she felt something, something powerful. The other half of Kyuubi had been transferred to her body when Minato died. She now had the whole power of the Nine-Tails within her, but she wasn't sure if she could control it.

She had one more thing to do before she would go far away to truly harness her new power, and that was to erase all memory of her from anyone who knew this version of herself, the one in the wrong time. She would just have to stay hidden, not come back until after she 'died'.

\--

As she quickly prepared the Memory Erasing Seal, as to finish before anyone found her next to her parents' dead bodies, she heard an instantly recognizable voice behind her.

"Naruto? What happened? Minato-sensei? Kushina?" Tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

"I am so sorry, Kakashi."

"Naruto? Wait, that's the same seal Minato-sensei used to-" He froze. "No."

"Just the memories of me. I promise it's for the best. I am so sorry. Never forget that I loved you, that I still love you, and that I will always love you." She pressed one more kiss to his forehead before completing the seal and erasing all memory of her from their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much. Hope you like this chapter, and no, that is not the end. I don't have the attention span to write another book and I would never leave you guys hanging like that.


	17. The One Where She Stops Waiting

Naruto cold barely keep her eyes open as she walked. She had been walking for so long. Deciding she could go on no further, she stopped at an hotel in a small village. She fell onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Naruto had been living in secret ever since she erased everyone's memory of herself. She only took small jobs to get money for food and shelter. It wasn't like she could go back to the village yet. Her younger self had no memory of anyone who looked just like her waltzing around town.

That was the trouble with time travel, you could change anything without even knowing, because your own memories would just change as well.

So, to avoid a catastrophe, Naruto decided it would be best to stay away from the village until at least her death. Then there would only be one of her. She just didn't know how to explain it to everyone else. Time travel? Who would believe her?

After almost twenty years of hiding, she had finally heard news of the end of the fourth shinobi war, and the death of a great hero.

———

Once she awoke, she left the inn and continued her trek to the village she once called home. She suddenly wished she had chosen somewhere closer to hide out before remembering that this was for the good of her friends, her village.

Not long after her departure, Naruto reached the gate of the village. No one stood guard at the door, and she assumed they were still doing repairs and needed all the hands they could get.

She walked through the village, sticking to the shadows. Not only out of habit, but also because she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to see the people she had avoided for the past twenty years. But before she could make it to the top of the cliff to see the whole village, or to a roof, she was pushed to the ground.

She looked up to see Akamaru as he licked her face.

"Good to see you too buddy. I've missed you." She mumbled as she scratched behind his ear.

He just responded with a short bark.

"Akamaru!" She heard someone call.

She wasn't ready for this yet. But before she could escape from beneath the giant dog, footsteps could be heard coming down the alleyway she had been hiding in.

"Sorry ma'am, he's usually not-" Kiba stopped when he saw her face.

"Since when are you so formal?" She joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Of course, it didn't work. It was hard to lighten the mood when you were a dead person.

"Naruto?" His voice quivered as he spoke.

"In the flesh."

The next thing she felt was a punch on her arm before being pulled into a tight hug.

"Idiot."

———

After explaining everything to Kiba, he punched her one more time before dragging her out of the alleyway and towards the old training grounds.

"Everyone will be stoked to see you. We were just about to do some group training." He had yet to look back at her as her older self, but he would get to that later.

As they arrived at the training grounds Naruto saw them all huddled in a group facing away from them. A bark from Akamaru got them to turn.

"Took you long enough. Waiting is such a drag." Shikamaru drawled as he slowly turned with the rest of the group.

Naruto almost cried as she saw her friends' faces again for the first time in almost twenty-five years. They all stared at her with blank looks on their faces.

"Is it really you, Naruto?" Hinata whispered, not believing her friend was here.

"Hi." She could only get the one word out. If she spoke anymore she was afraid she might break down.

Before she could blink, all of their arms were around her. She felt like she was going to die of asphyxiation, but it was worth it for this hug. She explained everything to all of them and answered all their questions, but she couldn't focus. She had to see Kakashi soon. She felt starved of his presence in the past twenty years.

After being informed he would most likely be in the graveyard, she headed over as fast as she could.

She stood on the edge of the clearing, watching him as he stood at her grave. She couldn't stand it any longer.

Without warning she ran at him, and he turned just in time for her to run right into his chest.

Naruto wrapped her arms around his waist and dug her face into his chest, breathing in his scent.

She didn't need anything more than _this_. She had him, and that was all that mattered.

"You know," He began after relaxing for a moment. "It was sunny the day of the funeral. I thought of you, how you probably threatened mother nature in an attempt to make us happy with your sunshine. I almost wished it had rained that day. It would've been easier to hide my tears." He spoke softly to her.

He shifted to grab her chin with his hand and lifted her face. Without warning he pulled down his mask and pulled her into a deep kiss.

And in that moment, it was all she needed. Just her and him in the world together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story all the way to the end. I really hope you enjoyed this.
> 
> Love you all.


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